UP stabbing: School head held, accused sent to juvenile home

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, January 18

Following protests by parents of Brightland School, the police have arrested the principal for allegedly delaying the probe by keeping the incident under wraps for a day.

School principal Reena Manas had not reported the matter to the police and had even reportedly asked the parents not to do so.

Two directors of the school were also detained for questioning as the management had informed the police in writing only after the media reached the King George Medical University’s Trauma Centre on Wednesday where the 7-year-old Class I student, Hrithik Sharma, is recovering from multiple stab wounds.

In a scary replay of Gurugram’s Ryan School murder, Hrithik was beaten up and repeatedly stabbed by a 12-year-old Class VII girl student from the same school soon after the morning assembly on Tuesday.

“A didi with boy-cut hair called me saying a teacher had asked for me. She took me to the bathroom and slapped me. Then she attacked me with a sharp object... When I asked didi why she was beating me, she said: I want the school to declare an early closure today,” the victim told the police during investigation.

On Wednesday night, the alleged culprit was identified by Hrithik from his hospital bed after the police showed him 45 photographs of girl students. The girl was interrogated by a woman police officer in plains cloth. She has been arrested , said Lucknow SSP Deepak Kumar.

The police produced her before principal magistrate of Juvenile Justice Board, Achal Pratap Singh, who sent her to a juvenile home till January 31.

A strand of hair believed to be of the accused was found in the bathroom. It has been sent for DNA profiling. A kitchen knife which was used to inflict multiple stab injuries on the victim’s stomach and chest has also been recovered.

District Inspector of Schools Mukesh Singh has issued a show-cause notice to the school management for not informing the police about the incident in time.

Stabbed for ‘early closure’

"A didi with boy-cut hair took me to the bathroom and attacked me with a sharp object...She said: I want school to declare an early closure today." Hrithik Sharma, victim